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From: kjm@ut-ngp.UUCP (Ken Montgomery)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: More Challenger Theories
Message-ID: <2924@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Feb-86 15:22:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.2924
Posted: Thu Feb  6 15:22:00 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Feb-86 21:31:57 EST
References: <152800003@uiucuxc> <152800004@uiucuxc>
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 22

[]

> The SRB's burn from the bottom up.  The position of the flame front should
> be directly calculatable by NASA.  The key question is:  Would the flame
> front be near that joint at that point in the flight.
> [Michael Gardner]

If I understand correctly, you think that the SRB fuel burns at a surface
that is at right angles to the long axis of the SRB.  This is not correct.
The SRB fuel is pierced all the way down the long axis by a star-shaped
hole.  Burning occurs on the surface thus formed.  Side note: the hole is
star-shaped to keep the surface area, and thus the burn rate, relatively
constant over the burn time.  A cylindrical hole would, as the SRB burned,
increase in surface area.

--
The above viewpoints are mine.  They are unrelated to
those of anyone else, including my cat and my employer.

Ken Montgomery  "Shredder-of-hapless-smurfs"
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